Steven Stamkos, second from right, celebrates with teammates after scoring in overtime Saturday night to give the Tampa Bay Lightning a 2-1 win against the Boston Bruins. Michael Dwyer/Associated Press

BOSTON — Steven Stamkos scored at 1:31 of overtime, and the Tampa Bay Lighting bounced back after blowing a two-goal lead on Saturday night, beating the Boston Bruins, 3-2.

Taylor Raddysh got his first career goal, a short-handed score in the first period, and Ondrej Palat also scored for the defending Stanley Cup champions.

Charlie Coyle and Curtis Lazar scored after the Bruins fell behind 2-0 early in the second period. Jeremy Swayman made 22 saves for the Bruins, who outshot the Lightning, 39-25.

“In an 82-game league, it’s hard to play your best. Sometimes you have stinkers,” Coach Jon Cooper said after the Lightning won for the eighth time in 11 games. “Tonight was a stinker.”

Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 37 shots for the Lightning.

“He stole one for us tonight. There’s no doubt about it,” said Stamkos, who recorded a point for the sixth straight game. “He was amazing tonight. He was the difference-maker.”

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Coming off a shutout against Nashville – his third in 22 NHL games – Swayman let Tampa Bay take an early lead when he got caught spread-eagled on Raddysh’s short-handed rush late in the first period.

The Lightning took a 2-0 lead early in the second, capitalizing after the Bruins hit iron twice – once on a David Pastrnak shot off the crossbar and again when Brandon Carlo got a shot past Vasilevskiy but it rolled off the post and away. On the next faceoff, Palat’s attempted pass deflected off the skate of Bruins forward Tomas Nosek and past Swayman.

“I know we had a two-goal lead,” Stamkos said. “It didn’t really feel that way.”

The Bruins finally broke through against Vasilevskiy late in the second when Erik Haula slid the puck between his legs backwards to Coyle in front of the net.

In the third, Lazar picked up the puck at the left circle, skated to the net and then backhanded a shot off high to the goalie’s glove side.

Top Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy was scratched from the game because of a non-COVID illness. The Bruins recalled defenseman Jack Ahcan, along with forward Oskar Steen, from Providence of the AHL.

The Bruins were also without Coach Bruce Cassidy, who was placed in the league’s COVID-19 protocol on Tuesday. Assistant Joe Sacco has run the bench the last three games.


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